A Marion County school bus driverinvolved in a fatal crash in May received a ticket from the Florida Highway Patrol for the incident on Aug. 6.
Durace Francois was cited for failure to yield to oncoming traffic while turning left. FHP said the offense was not criminal.
With this summons, the 56-year-old Silver Springs man must appear in front of a judge, who will determine the punishment.
Francois was fired from his job as a school bus driver for the Marion County Public Schools, a school official said.
FHP Traffic Homicide Investigator Cpl. Wilson Swartz investigated the crash.
Citations
Court records show that from 2008 to 2026, Francois was given 10 tickets for various traffic violations. The offenses included speeding, careless driving and improper left
turn.
Of the 10, six were listed as adjudication withheld, which means there is no criminal conviction, and three were dismissed. One, for improper passing in a no passing zone, was adjudicated guilty.
Three months before the fatal crash, Francois was ticketed by a law enforcement officer for texting while driving, a first offense, according to court records. Francois entered a no contest plea on May 15. Adjudication was withheld, and he was ordered to complete a driver improvement course. He also had to pay a $130 fine.
About the fatal crash
According to FHP, the fatal crash occurred shortly before 3 p.m. on May 6 at State Road 40 and Southeast 177th Avenue in Silver Springs.
Troopers said a GMC Sierra pickup truck driven by George Rukstela of Silver Springs was westbound on SR 40 and the school bus was on the opposite side of the roadway. Authorities said the school bus driver was attempting to turn left when the vehicles collided.
Rukstela was taken to HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, where he later died. He was 76, and also from Silver Springs. FHP said he was driving home at the time of the crash.
FHP said Francois, a driver's assistant and four children were on the bus. They were not injured in the crash.
The children were from Maplewood Elementary School and were on their way home after school, school officials said.
Contact Austin L. Miller at austin.miller@starbanner.com
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: School bus driver cited by FHP in fatal crash | Exclusive
